Gold

The minting of gold coins was under the complete control of the Roman Emperor.

The style of this gold coin should be very familiar. It is similar to the silver denarius coin that is commonly referred to as the “Tribute Penny.” This coin has a scratch mark through the portrait of Tiberius showing that someone was making sure it was not a counterfeit. It also has a bankers mark - in this case a “c” above the head of Tiberius. Bankers marks were put on to verify that the coin was authentic. There are many different types of bankers marks, some are letters and others are symbols. I should note that some New Testament translations will make reference to gold coins in Luke 19:13. The actual word used in this text is “minas.” A “mina” is not a coin denomination nor is it specifically a reference to gold. It is a weight and is meant to represent the amount of silver found in 50 shekels. (Side note here: I have also seen references that say a “mina” equals 60 shekels and in another place equals a 100 drachmas – I am not sure if the weight ratio changed over time and will continue to read more about this and update this as I find out more information)